You can elevate any desert recipe to holiday proportions by simply adding peppermint oil to your recipe. That trick is never better when used in a dark chocolately brownie. These brownies are rich thick perfection with just a hint of mint to make them merry. 

1 stick butter at room temp
1 cup flour
1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp peppermint oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chips
8 ounces dark baking chocolate 
2 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

Directions: 
Melt your chocolate and butter together in either a double boiler or microwave. Add sugar when mixture is hot and stir to combie. Add eggs, flour, cocoa, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt. Mix until just combined. Bake at 350 degrees in a 9 inch greased pan for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar for a snow effect. 

May all of your recipes be spiked with something wintery and wonderful this month. Enjoy!

Brooke LOVES halloween. Her home is always filled with the cutest and spookiest decorations, and the costumes she comes up with for her kids always impress. Well this year she gifted me with the most adorable and simple way to make halloween treats! They will look like you spend hours searching pinterest for ideas and slaved away in the kitchen to make them. When really, all you have to do is stand in front of a microwave for a few seconds. These white chocolate skull suckers are such a fun and simple halloween activity/treat! 

I picture wrapping these suckers in cellophane and tying them with a cute ribbon. For the skeleton body, I'm going to poke the bones into a chocolate cake. There are so many adorable possibilities! All you have to do is purchase these inexpensive candy molds (amazon links below), and then melt some chocolate and pour it into the molds. It couldn't be easier! 

I've attached links below to the exact molds and candy melts we used. Candy melts work so much better than actual chocolate. You can just pop them into the microwave and melt them, instead of having to use a double boiler like regular chocolate. Also, they come in this gorgeous white color to make the bones look extra spooky. You could even add a few drops of red or green food coloring if you wanted your bones to be bloody or slimy. So much fun, and so easy. This was the perfect halloween treat to have my toddler help me create. 

Enjoy! Hope you have a spooky halloween!

Sometimes you are in the mood for a little something sweet. And I mean little literally. In order to keep our waistlines in check, we really should watch our portions, especially when it comes to desert. I know for me personally I often crave a sweet morsel after every meal in order to feel satisfied. Well these chocolate covered frozen banana bites are the perfect solution for that. They are much smaller than a huge icecream treat. You are satisfying that sweet tooth craving with fruit, but because its dipped in healthful dark chocolate and frozen, you can almost trick yourself into feeling like you are eating an ice-cream desert. All the good, none of the bad. 

Ingredients: 

3 ripe bananas 

12 ounce bag Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers

chopped nuts (optional)

Directions: 

Chop your bananas into bite sized slices. Melt your wafers in a double boiler. Dip your bananas in the melted chocolate and place on a baking sheet. (Add chopped nuts such as peanuts, almonds, or cashews while still warm.) Freeze on baking sheet. Once the chocolate has hardened you can add them all into a zip lock back and keep in your freezer for a sweet treat whenever the craving hits. 

An easy guilt less treat that couldn't be easier. 
Enjoy!

If there is one thing you don't see a lot on the lavender apple farm, its peanut butter. Peggy is just not a huge fan. But when it came to dedicating a week to the simplest recipes we can think of, our week would not be complete without a no bake cookie recipe. I know when I have a cookie craving, it can often come late and night. I don't really feel like turning on the oven and waiting around while I get my butter to room temperature, chill my dough, and bake several batches of cookies. No Bake Cookies are the perfect solution for that. These are a great "one pot" treat and are ready in minutes. This particular recipe has a great depth of flavor from the dark chocolate pieces, and a nice salty bite from the peanut butter. It's also got a great chewy texture from the oats. You will love it. 

Make sure you set out a large sheet of wax paper because you will want that ready once your ingredients are combined. 

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
3 pieces dark chocolate melting wafers (or you can use any dark chocolate you have on hand)
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla 
1/4 tsp salt
4-5 cups of oats depending on your chocolate to oat preference 

Melt your stick of butter. I LOVE the taste of brown butter in this recipe, so if you feel ambitious, you can let your butter heat up until brown pieces begin to form and it turns a deep golden color. If you are in a hurry, you can just melt it quickly. Then add your milk slowly so you don't scald it. Mix in your cocoa powder and sugar. Bring all of this goodness to a boil for about 1 minute, make sure you stir it the entire time so nothing burns. Reduce the heat to low. Then add in your dark chocolate pieces, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir until everything is combined. Remove from the heat and add your oats. I would start with 4 cups and keep adding until it looks like everything is coated well and there is no extra chocolate on the bottom of the pan. Then drizzle your wax paper with clumps of the oat mixture. Wait until they cool and you (and the cookies) are all set!